this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2024
1089 points (98.5% liked)
Science Memes
11047 readers
4238 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Huh, that’s really interesting about the butterflies. Do you know if that’s how Pipevines & Viceroys developed their poison?
I didn’t know there were poisonous butterflies until I read about Pipevines coating their clutches with poison for protection.
I found out about mushrooms the fun way.
Yes, evolution is a reaction in response to stimuli and dangers present in their environment. Another example this time provided by Darwin is the case with peppered moths. The majority were white colored as they found protection being blended in to the light colored environment.
The industrial revolution introduced pollution that changed the color of nature, in response the black colored moths quickly gained the majority because they blended in better so they had a greater chance to survive, years later once the pollution improved the white moths once again thrived because of the incredibly complex quick acting process of natures natural selection.
Ah, very cool! Thanks! I remember the Pepper Moths lesson from bio, but guess I just never considered that butterflies may have evolved into poison production for protection.
Appreciate the info!
Fun fact about mushroom toxicity by contrast. Because the mushroom is only the reproductive organ of the organism, and you're basically doing it a favour by picking it and spreading its spores everywhere, theres no evolutionary pressure for it to evolve toxicity to humans. So the compounds in mushrooms that are toxic to us likely exist for other purposes, and are only toxic to us by coincidence.
For this reason the proportion of species of mushrooms that are safe vs. the number that are toxic is greater than with plants. Because plants have had selective pressure to evolve poisons that discourage or prevent herbivory. So if you walk into an unfamiliar forest and pick one plant and one mushroom to eat at random, it's more likely the plant is the bigger danger.
Of course I absolutely do not condone eating plants or fungi at random unless you intend to have a painful death.